Glucode Glucode Handbook

Smoking

General

Glucode has a duty, in terms of the Occupational Health & Safety Act, to provide a healthy and safe working environment for all employees.

Providing a healthy work environment entails ensuring that the health of non-smokers is not compromised.

Your obligations

In an attempt to consider and accommodate the needs of smokers and non-smokers, and to provide all with a safe and healthy working environment.

Info

Please note that the Labour Act does not obligate us to provide a smoke break on top of a lunch hour, thus Glucode reserves the right to put an end to breaks and ban smoking completely on Glucode premises.

You should:

  • only smoke during breaks and in the designated smoking areas of the building
  • not smoke in partially enclosed public places e.g. covered patios, verandas, balconies, walkways, parking areas etc.
  • should manage your time in a responsible manner and ensure that your duties are not adversely affected
  • share a responsibility for ensuring that the above is implemented and adhered to
  • avoid prolonged and/or frequent absences from workstations without permission, in order to take smoke breaks.

If any difficulties in terms of implementation arise, you must refer the problem to your Head of Department; alternatively, all complaints by non-smokers should be raised through the grievance procedure.

Danger

Failure to abide by this rule will result in a fine as per the Tobacco Act and/or immediate disciplinary action

Our obligations

The Tobacco Control Amendment Act, and its accompanying regulations, imposed a ban on smoking in any enclosed indoor public place, but allows for the construction of smoking areas no larger than 25% of the total floor area.

The designated smoking area must:

  • be separated from the rest of the public place by a solid partition and an entrance door on which the sign “SMOKING AREA” is displayed, written in black letters, at least 2cm in height and 1,5cm in breadth, on a white background;
  • be sealed off from the remaining area and have their own air-extraction system to ensure that the smoke is dispelled outdoors and not into any smoke-free area;
  • have ventilation that directly exhausts the smoke to the outside and is not re-circulated to any other area within the public place;
  • display the message: “SMOKING OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS IS HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH AND TO THE HEALTH OF CHILDREN, PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING WOMEN AND NONSMOKERS. FOR HELP TO QUIT PHONE (011) 720 3145” at the entrance to the designated smoking area, written in black letters, at least 2cm in height and 1,5cm in breadth, on a white background;
  • have notices and signs indicating areas where smoking is permitted permanently displayed, and signs indicating that smoking is not permitted must carry the warning: “ANY PERSON WHO FAILS TO COMPLY WITH THIS NOTICE SHALL BE PROSECUTED AND MAY BE LIABLE TO A FINE”.